Bowl handling mechanism for mixing machines



Jan. 9, 1940; w. F. DEHUFF I BOWL HANDLING MECHANISM FOR MIXING MACHINESFiled July 10, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet l FIG.I

INVENTOR haw; FDQW 7 ATTORNEY Jan. 9, 1940.

w. F. DEHUFF BOWL HANDLING MECHANISM FOR MIXING MACHINES Filed July 10,1936 3 Sheets-Shet' 2 F'IG.2

FIG. IA

INVENTOR 13 a2 a0 a] 2/ 22 mfr'g fi fi W5. ATTORNEY Jan. 9,1940. W.F.DEHUFF 2,186,478

BOWL HANDLING MECHANISM FOR MIXING MACHINES Filed July 10, 1936 4 3Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

44 012 FIG. 4 v

M 1"; !"E I 42 24 INVENTOR ATTO R N EY I Patented Jan.

' Bowr. YHANDIJNGIMECHAYNISM FOR. I MIXING MACHINES g was; F. nstumslenRat, Pa, sssijgns -ss;

corporation oif'New Jersey I .American M-achine & Foundry Company, a

f ppnsatibn Ju1y 10,193j,.. s sia1"NoQ90,059 16 claim (or. zit-ll) Thisinvention relates .to bowlhandling mechanism; and has special referenceto apparatus in which; bowls or similar vessels may be easily handled,regardless of size, both at the mixing "5: machine, the emptyingstation'andin the tra'nsfer to. and from these points;

' The presentdevelopment of vertical type mix- 'e'rs has brought intouse'larger andalargerbowls orxves'sels for. handling largerbatches andmixes.

; While in thehandling of smaller containers some difiiculty hasbeenexperienced, especially where man power has been'depended upon, it isapparent-.-that with larger sizes 'of bowls the difiiculty I isgreatlyincreased and amounts to quite-a prob lem. The size of theqbowlsandtheir weight,

either'empty or filled makes the provision of mechanical 'meansnecessary for their efficient and satisfactory use For easeofhandling'and general expediency,

itis also. important that all of the mixed batch be removed fromthe bowlas awhole, and-for that reason it is desirable to provide'mechanism"for'lifting a bowl-to a point at which it can betilted sothatsubstantially all of the contents can ,5 be removed atone-time. I

It is an object of this inventio'n to .provi de bowl. handling mechanismwhich will make possible v rapid and easy handling of bowls containingmixed batches of dough, cake and like products 39-, orother containersregardless of 'thesize of the vessel.

I'It is an additional'object to'provide a noveltype of bowl,especiallyadapted foruse with a bowl handling device of the-typedisclosed herein i'n 3 which meansarei'providedfor locatingand tiltingsaid bowl. I I

It is an additional object to provide a mixing bowl havlngatiltingmedium-carried thereon which makes said bowl easier to manipulate than 40,bowls heretoforetknown,andespecially with respect to large bowls. I I III I It is a further object to provide means for han dling bowls in whichmeans are provided forelevating bowls to an. elevation'where they may be45., moved to contents. discharging position.

It is a furtheriobjectfto furnish. aidevice for handling bowls or likecontainers in which an ele-( I vating mechanismraises and. lowers a,bowl to and from'discharging position, and means are provided forlimiting the movement of, the elevator at one-orboth positions;

An added object is .the provision ofmechanism.

forstopping,over-run-of the elevating elements of the bowl;liftingstructure Lthereby I preventing 55. damage to, said structure.

. beneath sai'delevato-nf With these and other objects not; specificallyssue-0am inthe claims hereunto append-ed.

'. the bowl in the down? position;

. edin; the bearing it of the bowl'elevator or, saddle ll, by means of aflanged portion 58 engages A further object 'is' to furnish ane1evator.; hav-' ing bowl seating and positioning members ,for in.-

suringl pos'itive contact of said bowlduringits move iifint to emptyingposition, 1 II i .The invention also includesa transfer-member 5 I fhaving a bowl positioning seat wherein a bowl I may betraI S e ifed to acontents "removing loca-1 tion, tilted; and the contents thereinremoveds The invention also, consists in a transfer-device.

cooperating withthe bowl-handlingelevator for 10 I positioning bowlthereon after themixing oper- In the accompanying drawings: I

"1 I, lis a front View View of the-bowl handling machine; showingthebowlin the up? position Fig, 1A is -a detail view- 0f the same showingFig; 2 is a side View of the machine I "Fig. 2Ais an enlarged'sectional'detail View of the floating nutconstructiomr Fig. 3-is a sideviewof a mixing machine-show ing the bowlin up" position; and I Fig. ,4is a detail. view of the .bowllocking -mean's. I I

Reierring to the drawings, the base -8 'of {the machinezis. equippedwith slottedprojections: 9;.

which receive and supportthe upright frame' IU-L Amotor'lfi, suitablyattached to .the frame n3 I .by means of the pinion iidrives a gear. l 3mountedonthelower endof ai spindle l4. 7 Spindle l4 engaging a floatingnut" l5, Fig; 2A, loosely mount-'-.

the bottom of bearing i5 therebyliiting the elevator." Elevator H isprovided' with rollers I9,

i 1A and 2, which engage in the vertical tracks Ellof,frameQ-lil'thereby guiding said elevator v duringits "upandfolowntravel, The horizontal or base part 2i, of elevator llsupports. a pair of I shafts-":2 carrying rollers 23 which are preferejably flanged to engage the tilting band or track '28'Iwhich pextly'surroundsmthe mixing bowl-.25, and'act as guides. as the bowl is beingtiltede This band gn'iay be formed integrally'withthe I :bowl, or,attached thereto in the manner shown.

The truck on whichthe mixing bowliis transsported consists of a carriage30 having amiddle I connecting portion BI, and rollers 32'carried by 9"OCH swivels 33 attached to the four corners of the.

carriage. Asshown in Figs. 1A and 2, the conneotin'g part of thecarriage, preferably, is so arranged that it can be slid beneathelevator l'l when a filled bowl is moved to position to be elevated andemptied. The bowl carrying truck is so constructed that it can be movedbetween and into engagementwith the legs of thebase 8, and therebybelocated in fixed position by said legs against movement during all thetime the bowl is handled by the elevator 2i. It is to be noted that lugs34 are provided both for the purpose of serving as bearings for shafts35 which carry rollers 33 engaging the tilting band of the bowl, andalso'to act as positioning or locating members to prevent a bowl, as itis lowered in the bracket of the mixing machine for discharge therefromonto the truck from upsetting and spilling its contents. By means ofthese lugs which are spaced near the band when the bowl is located onthe truck,- and by reason of their beveled faces (see Fig. 2), a bowlmay be consideredsecure from overturning during its transfer to anelevator.

tending arms 34, in which the mechanism for rotating member 5%! issupported for operation in a housing integral with the head, and locatedmidway between arms 34 which support guide rods Siidescribed furtherhereinafter.

, Suitable gearing (not shown) enclosed ina housing integral with one ofthe arms 43 of head G2, is operated by a hand wheel 44 to rotate.

screws 45 which are threaded into the bracket 46 provided with hubs ll,mounted to slide on guide rods. 48 extending vertically upward from thebase M3 and suitably secured parallel to each other, to the arms-d3.

While different devices may be employed to hold the bowl in mixingposition, in the embodiment shown a bracket 55 is provided with aninternal flange (not shown) adapted to engage a rib 49 suitably formedonor secured to the periphery oithe mixing. bowl 25, for the purpose ofsupporting and raising lowering said bowl relative to the beater 50which is detachably secured to the beater spindle 5! by a coupling 52which may be of the type disclosed in my U. S. Patent 1,792,363 issuedFebruary 10, Obviously, the bowl could be supported by trunnions orother like supporting means.

Upon the completion of the mixing operation the bowl 25 is lowered untilthe tilting band 24 rests on the rollers 36 of the truck, the beaterthen being detached from the spindle permitting the removal of the bowland truck. During the mixing operation the bowl is held from turning bymeans, of the engagement of band 24 with a locking device which in theembodiment shown is a slot dtprovided in the bracket 45, illustrated inFig. 4.

The truck and bowl are then transported to the bowl handling machine,the truck moving relative to the elevator ll which is then in its downposition so. that the elevator is located beneath tions 9.

the bowl, as illustrated in Figs. 1A and 2. When the elevator starts toascend in order to raise the' bowl to discharge position throughrotation of the spindle M, it is seen that the rollers 23 on elevatorl'l will engage the tilting band 24 and thereby lift'the same fromrollers 36 of the truck.

Iii-order to tilt the bowl at the discharge position and remove thecontents therefrom, the attendant manually'moves .a member .54 towardsthe bowl so that a tiiting device, such as a hook 55, mounted on themember 54 is'located to engage a cooperating element shown here as astud 56 carried by the bowl. Through this arrange- .ment afterengagement of the hook with the right position, the hook is disengagedfrom the.

stud 5G, memberfii. swings outward by gravity, and stops against a.strap 58 attached to the base 3 of the machine. In. approaching itslowermost position, the elevator .l.'| again transfers the tilt-.

ing band 24 of bowl 25 onto the rollers 36 of the truck, and'continuesto descend until stop screws Fig. 1A, carried byangular brackets 6| and52. attached to, said elevator engage the projec- In this manner, theelevator always returns to a positive stopping position. Bracket t2supports-screws 63 which carry an adjustably mounted trip piece engaginga roller 65 attached to a pivotally mounted arm 65 of a limitswitchii'lgand when arm 66 is actuated by this engagement ittrips thelimit switch, shutting ofi the power tomotor H and thereby stops therotation of spindle, l4. Due to the fact that a certain periodof time,elapses before the motor stops afterjtrippingof the. switch, a floatingnut construction is provided which takes up the overrun of spindle M,thereby eliminating the possibility of damaging the machine. Thisfloating nut l5, Fig. 2A, after the saddle has reached its lowermostposition, due to the over-run ,of the motor and spindle I4, will travelfreely in the bearing [6 of elevator l1 until the rotation of thespindlestops'the nut then being in a position 18 as indicated by dottedlines. When the machine is set in motion to lift the next bowl,

the nut it will travel freely until reaching the bottom of bearing it,the engagement of which will again lift the elevator and bowl.

A limit switch 68, Fig. 1, of the same type as switch Bl, is provided atthe upper part of frame iii and serves to stopthe motor when the 'bowlhas. reached its highest position, the stopping of the motor beingaccomplished by means of the engagement of trip piece 64. with roller65.

While one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, itis to be understood that various changes may be made in the structuraldetails of the device without departing from thespirit. and scope of theinvention as 'set forth in the appended claims.

side portions thereof, at right angles to the rim okrotative positionsand urged by a gravitational bias to an upright position, whether emptyor of said. bowl, said member constituting a tilting device on which thebowl'is adapted to be supported freely for rotation. froma normallyvertical mixing position to a'horizontal discharge position, the trackbeing so disposed that the.

bowl is stable in its various rotative positions,

when loaded and empty.

2. A portable mixing vessel for verticalmixing machines, having arounded bottom portion and a cylindrical body portion extending upwardtherefrom, means carried by said vessel for supporting it in mixingposition with respect to a mixing machine, an arcuate track formed as aunitary structure with saidvessel being located about the bottom portionthereof, said track providing 'means whereby said vessel'may be sup,-ported freely'for tiltingit to a position at which its contents may beremoved, the track'being so disposed that the vessel is stable in itsvarious loaded.

3. A mixing bowl for vertical mixing machines having a spheroidal bottommixing portion, with a cylindrical body portion extending upwardtherefrom, means carried by said bowl for maintaining it in mixingposition, and a band extending about the bottom and up the side portionsthereof at right angles to the rim and forming a :tilting device onwhichsaid bowl is moved 'to discharge its contents, the band being sodisposed that the vessel is stable in its various rotative positions,having a gravitational bias to an upright position, whether loaded orempty.

4. A mixing bowl for vertical mixingmachines having a rounded bottommixing portion and a discharge lip adjacent "the rim thereof, meansvcarried by said bowl for supporting it in upright mixing position, andmeans carried-by said bowl for tilting the same to discharge itscontents, said means comprising a band member extending medially aroundthe curved bottom and side nportions at right angles to the rim thereof,and

extending towards said discharge lip beyond its point of intersectionwith a diameter of the bowl which passes through the center of gravitythereof, said member being so disposed-that when the bowl is tiltedrotatively. upon said member to a position at which its contents may beremoved, the bowl will be engaged with any suitable underlying supportexclusively by means of that portion of said'band which extends fromnear said lip toward said point of intersection with said diameter.

5. A mixing bowl for vertical mixing machines having a rounded bottommixing portion, and a cylindrical body portion extending upward therefrom, and a discharge lip adjacent the rim thereof, means carried bysaid bowl for supporting it in uprigh'tjmixing position.,comprising ametal band secured circiunferentially around the side walls, a broadmetal band secured to said first named band and extending around themedial portion of said curved bottom to a point beyond.

said circumferential band on the other 'side of the bowl, and beingsecured to the outer wall of the bowl. at a regionfbetween saidcircumferential band and said lip, and means carried by said bowl fortilting the same to discharge its contents, said means comprising anelement located on said bowl adjacent said rim for rocking said bowlon-said mixing portion, said element being accessible, between saidlipand said last named band, for ready attachment and detachment of alatch for tilting the bowl.

6. A bowl handling mechanism for a vertical mixing machine, comprising abase, frame members rising from said base and forming guides; ahorizontally'disp-osed elevator lift, means on; said elevatorliftcooperating with said guides to position thelift for lifting movement,spaced supports on said elevator lift forminga seat for handling amixingbowl provided with a tilting device constitutinga part thereolflmeansfor re-, movably positioning said bowl on said seatfor rotation on saiddevice, and means. for moving said elevator lift and the-bowl thereonto' a position at which the contents of said bowl may be removed byrotation of the bowl only while said liftand seat retain theirhorizontal, position,

' '7. An elevating mechanism for raising and lowering vertical mixing,machine vessels com prising a frame, anelevator movable-therein, andprovided with a lift having a seat constructed and arranged to occupy asubstantially horizontal position, a plurality of rollers in said seat,a mixing vessel to be'emptied located on said seat,

said vessel being formed with atiltingdevice constituting a part thereofarranged to engage and travel on said vrollers'to. removablypositionsaid vessel on said seat for'elevation therewith, and

-means to effect relative movement hetweenfsaid device and vesselpositioned on said, rollers to rock said vessel bodily on said deviceinto dis-h charging position while said seat remains. in said horizontalposition} Y 8. In a machine for handling mixing bowls, a

frame, an elevator movable therein to and from receiving' and dischargepositions, a supporting surface for a bowl on said elevator, a pluralityof flanged rollers mounted upon said surface, a

mixing bowl-located'upon said rollers, a track extending around thebottom and up the sides of said bowl at right angles to the rim thereof,said track being adapted to fit between the flanges and cooperate withsaid rollers to provide positive guidance for said bowl when it istilted on said rollers toiemptying position.

9. In a machine for handling'vertical mixing machine vessels, a frame,an elevator lift movable therein to transfera vessel to andfromreceiving and discharging stations,'spaced rollers on saidelevator'lift, and means for removably supporting said vessel for bodilyrotation on said rollers into and out of discharge position, said meansincluding a track on the exterior of said vessel cooperating with saidrollers for allowing" said vessel to be tiltedthereon when the vesselhas been lifted to the discharge station, and said discharge vator liftfor positioning a bowl for tilting, a bowl having tilting means" forminga part thereof located rotatably uponsaid seat, and adapted to beemptied at'said emptying station, a device mounted. upon said frame fortilting said bowl on said seat withouttilting the seat,- said meanscooperating with said saiddevice as said bowl is upon its seatxtoemptying position while said seat retains a horizontal position,

. 11. An elevating mechanism for handlingmixing bowls having aspheroidal bottom mixing portion with a cylindrical portion extendingupward therefrom comprising aframe, an elevator movbeing elevated torotate said bowlon said means able therein and provided with a bowlseat, mechanism for operating said elevator, including a shaft, aplurality of rollers disposed in, a horizontal plane on said seat, amixing bowl positioned rotatably on said rollers, and means on said bowlengaging said rollers for locating said bowl for elevation and allowingsaid bowl to be moved-on said rollers to emptying position, and meansmounted in said elevator and cooperating with said shaft for taking upthe over run thereof and preventing damage to said; elevator when saidmechanism is rendered inoperative at the limits of movement of saidelevator.

12. In amixing bowl elevating mechanism, the combination with a base anda frame secured thereto, of a bowl elevator movable therein, spacedflanged rollers mounted in said elevator and forming a guide for a bowlpositioned thereon,

and means forming a permanent part of said bowl engaging said rollers tolocate said bowl for tilting on said rollers.

13. In a mixing bowl handling device, the combination with a mechanismfor raising and lower ing filled mixing bowls, of an elevator deviceprovided with a plurality of supporting members, a bowl having tiltingmeans forming a part thereof positioned on said members and cooperatingwith said members to locate said bowl for tilting,

.a tilting element carried by said bowl, and means for tilting onsaidmeans, a tilting element carried by. said bowl, a device mounted on saidmechanism and coasting with said element to tilt said bowl only on saidmeans during the upward movement of said elevator, and means to stop theupward movement of said elevator after said bowl has been tilted.

' 15. In a mixing bowl handling machine, an elevator mechanismcomprising a base, an upright frame and an elevator movable therein frombowl receiving to bowl discharging position, means to deliver a bowl tosaid elevator, said means including a truck detachably engaging withsaid base, comprising a pair of spaced carriages, an underslung memberconnecting said members, wheels mounted on the corners of said truck,vertical positioning elements mounmd on said carriages, shafts mountedin said elements, rollers on said shafts on which said bowl ispositioned, and wheels mounted on said truck 'for allowing said bowl tobe moved onto said elevator whereby said connecting member moves undersaid elevator and said elements position said bowl over said seat.

16. In an elevating mechanism for handling mixing bowls, a frame, anelevator mounted for movement in said frame, a bowl positioned on saidelevator and adapted to be tilted at the upper position of said elevatorfor emptying its contents, a tilting element carried by said bowl, amember secured to said frame, and adapted to be moved to and from saidelevator as it is moving upward, a device mounted upon said mem ber andadapted to engage said tilting element when said member is moved towardsaid elevator, whereby said device coacts with said element to graduallytilt said bowl as the elevator moves to its upper position, while theelevator retains a horizontal position.

WALTER F. DEHUFF.

